Pin carriage for adding and calculating machines

ABSTRACT

A pin carriage for adding and calculating machines embodying settable escapement pins for stepping the carriage, the pins each having a camming edge which cams the carriage in a retrograde direction upon movement of the pin from a carriage-arresting position, in engagement with an arresting element, to a nonarresting position. This produces a detenting action of the pin which is in arresting location without requiring the usual individual pin detents.

United States Patent Inventor Richard E. Busch La Puente, Calif.

Appl. No. 9,656

Filed Feb. 9, 1970 Patented Nov. 23, 1971 Assignee Addmaster Corporation San Gabriel, Calif.

PIN CARRIAGE FOR ADDING AND CALCULATING MACHINES 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl

235/60 R, 235/60 TK [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,095,143 6/1963 Oldenburg et al. 235/60 TK 3,469,776 9/1969 Hesse et a1 235/60 TK 3,481,536 12/1969 Clary 235/60 TK 3,515,857 6/1970 Busch 235/60 TK Primary Examiner-Stephen .l. Tomsky Atmrney- Fred N. Schwend ABSTRACT: A pin carriage for adding and calculating machines embodying settable escapement pins for stepping the carriage, the pins each having a camming edge which cams the carriage in a retrograde direction upon movement of the pin from a carriage-arresting position, in engagement with an arresting element, to a nonarresting position. This produces a detenting action of the pin which is in arresting location without requiring the usual individual pin detents.

PAIENIEBNHY 23 ml 3.622.756

SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR.

F/CHAA D f. BU56H Most adding and calculating machines of the IO-key type embody a shiftable pin carriage having a field of settable pins for differentially arresting actuators in different positions in accordance with amounts entered in the machine. In many cases, certain of such pins, called escapement pins, are utilized to effect escapement of the pin carriage from one denominational order to the next.

Such stop and escapement pins heretofore have generally been detented in arresting and nonarresting positions by spring detents mounted either on the pins or on the pin carriage itself in order to prevent unwanted shifting of the pins due to vibration or jarring forces developed during operation of the machine.

In order to simplify the construction of the pin carriage and, in some cases, to enable the pin box to be molded mainly out of a single piece of plastic or like material, it has been found desireable to embody the spring detent feature on the pin itself rather than on the pin box.

Although such construction is theoretically satisfactory, the pins must of necessity be relatively small since the spacing between them, in general, is on the order 0.18 to 0.20 inches in either direction. Therefore, the resulting pin construction becomes relatively delicate and fragile.

Although such pins are generally found adequate for use as stop pins to arrest the actuators in differential positions, trouble is often encountered when using the same as pin carriage escapement pins due to the relatively heavy mass of the pin carriage and rather violent jarring action incurred when the pins arrest the pin carriage during advancement thereof by a carriage-advancing spring, resulting in pin breakage. This is particularly true when the pin carriage is returned to its home position towards the end of a machine cycle since it must generally be driven beyond such home position and then allowed to be returned thereto by the now stretched pin-carriage-advancing spring.

In order to overcome the above problems, attempts have been made to use solid escapement pins without detent means on either the pin or the pin carriage. Such pins may thus be made strong enough to withstand the heavy jarring forces in arresting the pin carriage but since they are devoid of detenting means they sometimes shift between arresting and nonarresting positions due to vibration incurred in the machine as it operates through one or more machine cycles.

It therefore becomes a principle object of the present invention to provide a pin carriage having reliably operable escapement pins but without the usual detenting springs for detenting the pins.

Another object is to provide a pin carriage having escapement pins in which such pins are detented in carriage-arresting position by the pin-carriage-advancing spring.

Another object is to provide a pin carriage having escapement pins in which such pins tend to move to carriage-arresting positions under the influence of vibration or jarring forces.

A further object is to reduce the cost of manufacturing and assembling a pin carriage of the above type.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be readily understood on reference to the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a longitudinal sectional view, with parts broken away, of an adding machine embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 ofFlG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention in detail, the machine in which the invention is embodied is the commercially available Addmaster adding machine which is disclosed basically in U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 l3,7l9 issued to R. E. Busch on Dec. 10, I963; the U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,582 issued to H. L. Clary et al. on May 12, I964; and the pending U.S. pending application of .l. G. Clary, Ser. No. l6,3l6,flled Mar. 4, 1970. Reference may be had to these patents and patent application for disclosure of operating instrumentalities not shown herein.

Amounts are entered into the machine through 10 amount keys ranging in value from 0 to 9,two of which keys are indicated at 11. Different functions of the machine, such as addition and subtraction operation, are controlled by depressing certain function control keys (not shown), each efiective to cause a cycle of operation of the machine.

An arcuate pin carriage, generally indicated at 12, is provided, the pin box of which is preferably molded of plastic. The pin carriage carries a field of coordinately arranged settable stop pins 13 and is suitably guided for movement transversely of the machine. For this purpose, the pin carriage is slideably supported at its lower end on a shaft 14 and is guided at its upper end by a stationary channel member 15 forming part of the machine frame and provided with a slot, along which is guided a post 16 forming part of the pin carriage.

The upper horizontal row of pins 13A form escapement pins adapted to abut a stop element 17 suitably attached to the channel member 15 to limit movement of the pin carriage to the left (in FIG. 2) under the urge of a tension spring 18 suitably tensioned between the pin carriage and a part of the machine frame.

Each of the amount keys has a keystem 20 suitably guided for vertical movement and connected to a respective flexible cable 21 which is guided for endwise movement in a curved guide channel formed in a stationary guide block 22. All of the flexible cables are located in a vertical plane which lies coincident with a left-hand column of the various stop pins 13 and escapement pins 13A when the pin carriage is in its home position. Such cables 21 terminate directly in front of respective ones of the stop pins 13 so that depression of an amount key will setan aligned one of the stop pins to a point sector blocking position wherein it will arrest a shoulder 25 on an aligned one of a plurality of print sectors 23 during a machine cycle, as will be described later.

Depression of any amount key is effective to also move one of the escapement pins 13A from its outer arresting position represented by the three right-hand pins 13A in FIG. 2 to its inner nonarresting position, thus permitting the spring.l8 to advance the pin carriage one denominational order to the left wherein the next escapement pin 13A limits against the stop 17. For this purpose, a bail 27 is extended under the stems of the various keys II and is suitably pivotally supported for movement about an axis extending longitudinally of a machine. Upon depression of any of the amount keys the bail 27 is rocked to engage and rock a bail 28 about an axis extending transversely of the machine on bearings 30. The bail 28 carries a finger 31 effective to depress an aligned escapement pin 13A from its arresting position to its nonarresting position.

Means are provided for yieldably advancing the various sectors 23 in a clockwise direction about a support shaft 24, during a machine cycle, from their illustrated home positions during' the first half of a machine cycle until shoulder 25 thereof limit against the various pins 13 which has been set in blocking positions. For this purpose, the sectors have arcuate openings 32 therein through which extends a bail rod 33 normally engaging in shallow pockets formed in flexible tails 35 integral with the sectors 23. The bail rod 33 is swung in an are about the shaft 24, thereby differentially advancing the different sectors 23 to position different type characters 36 thereon under printing hammers 37 forming part of the printing mechanism generally indicated at 38.

After the sectors 23 have been differentially advanced, the hammers 37 are impelled downwardly to transfer an imprint from aligned ones of the type characters 36 onto a paper tape 40 suitably guided between the sectors 23 and the hammers 37.

After the printing operation, the pin carriage 12 is returned to the right (in FIG. 2) to its home position (not shown) and during this time, the various pins, including the escapement pins 13A are cammed into their outer positions by a stationary cam member 41 suitably supported by the machine framework.

According to the present invention, each of the escapement pin openings 39 is rectangular in cross section, as seen in FIG. 3, and has parallel side walls extending at right angles to the direction of movement of the pin carriage.

Each escapement pin 13A has a head 410 providing a stop shoulder 49 adapted to limit outward movement of the head beyond its arresting position. Each pin has a straight edge portion 42 whose length is slightly shorter than the thickness of pin box 12 and a contiguous edge portion 43 which joins portion 42 at 51 and extends from portion 42 at an angle b of approximately 6 degrees. The opposite edge of the pin has one portion 44 which tapers downwardly towards edge 42 at an angle a of approximately 4 degrees. The remaining edge portion 45 is set inwardly a short distance from the adjacent end of portion 44 and extends parallel to the side of opening 39 when the pin is in its outer arresting position and in engagement with the stop element 17.

Accordingly, when a pin 13A is in its outer or arresting position it may rock slightly in its opening but when it is moved into its nonarresting position it fits snugly in such opening. Thus, it tends to remain in such nonarresting position.

When a pin 13A, when in its arresting position, moves into arresting location in engagement with the right-hand shoulder of the stop element 17, as depicted by the center pin in FIG. 2, its edge 45'will extend at right angles to the direction of movement of the carriage and such edge will lie flat against the rightvhand side of the stop member 17. ln this condition, the pin will bear against the walls of its respective opening at points or edges 46 and 47. Because of the angle of engagement of edge 43 with the edge of the pin opening at point 47, any vibration or jarring forces applied to either the pin carriage or to the machine will tend to cam the pin outwardly or at least prevent it from being vibrated inwardly since the pin carriage is continually urged to the left. Thus, the pin-carriage-advancing spring 18 effects a detenting action to hold the arresting escapement pin 13A in its outer arresting position.

Also, since the edge 45 of the pin now extends at right angles to the direction of movement of the carriage there is no tendency for vibration or jarring forces to cause the pin to move toward nonarresting position.

Although the remaining escapement pins to the right of the one in arresting location are not detented and are thus free to slide back and forth in their openings, the cam 41 successively cams each such pin into its arresting position just prior to movement thereof into its arresting location.

Upon depression of any amount key, as described heretofore, the finger 31 will force the pin 13A which is in the arresting location inwardly, causing the inclined edge portion 43 to cam along the edge 47, thus retracting the pin carriage slightly to the right against the action of its spring 18. Although this will apply an additional load to the key being depressed, such load will be in effect similar to that exerted by a spring detent acting against the pin.

After a pin has been advanced to an inner, nonarresting position by the finger 31, as represented by the two left-hand pins in FIG. 2, its side edges 52 snugly fit in its stop pin open ing. Although vibratory and jarring forces may displace such pin it will have no effect on the control of the pin carriage. That is, inward movement of the pin will be limited by engagement with the outer periphery of the aligned sector 23 and outward movement will be limited by the head 410.

During the latter portion of a machine cycle the pin carriage is returned rightward to its home position by power driven means (not shown) and during such travel any of the escapement pins which are not in their inner nonarresting positions will cam up a ramp 50 formed on the stop element 17 and will remain in such position until they pass the finger 31, after which they will be returned to their outer arresting positions by the cam 41.

I claim: l. A calculating machine or the like comprising:

an arresting element,

a stop pin carriage including a pin box;

one side of said pin box being located adjacent said arresting element,

spring means for advancing said pin box in one direction relative to said arresting element,

said box having a plurality of escapement pin openings therein extending at right angles to said direction of advancement of said box,

and escapement pins slideable in said openings for movement between carriage-arresting and nonarresting positions relative to said arresting element,

at least one of said pins having a camming edge tapering towards an opposite edge thereof in the direction said pin moves to said nonarresting position, said camming edge being engageable with a part of the trailing wall of its respective said opening whereby to tend to cam said pin to its said arresting position upon engagement of said pin with said arresting element,

the distance between said camming edge and said opposite edge when measured in the plane of said side of said pin box when said pin is in said nonarresting position being substantially the same as the distance between said trailing wall and the leading wall ofsaid opening, and

means for moving said pin from said arresting position to said nonarresting position.

2. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 1 wherein said camming edge extends a distance greater than the distance between said arresting position and said nonarresting position whereby said camming edge engages a part of said trailing wall throughout the movement of said pin from said arresting position to said nonarresting position when in engagement with said arresting element.

3. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 2 comprising means on said pin engageable with said pin box whereby to prevent movement of said pin beyond said arresting position in the direction said pin moves away from said nonarresting position.

4. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 2 wherein the distance between said camming edge and said opposite edge when measured in the plane of said side of said pin box when said pin is in said arresting position is less than said first mentioned distance.

5. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 1 wherein the edge of said pin engageable with said arresting element tapers toward said camming edge in the direction said pin moves to said nonarresting position and extends at right angles to said direction of advancement of said pin box when said pin is in said arresting position and said pin is arrested by said arresting element. 

1. A calculating machine or the like comprising: an arresting element, a stop pin carriage including a pin box; one side of said pin box being located adjacent said arresting element, spring means for advancing said pin box in one direction relative to said arresting element, said box having a plurality of escapement pin openings therein extending at right angles to said direction of advancement of said box, and escapement pins slideable in said openings for movement between carriage-arresting and nonarresting positions relative to said arresting element, at least one of said pins having a camming edge tapering towards an opposite edge thereof in the direction said pin moves to said nonarresting position, said camming edge being engageable with a part of the trailing wall of its respective said opening whereby to tend to cam said pin to its said arresting position upon engagement of said pin with said arresting element, the distance between said camming edge and said opposite edge when measured in the plane of said side of said pin box when said pin is in said nonarresting position being substantially the same as the distance between said trailing wall and the leading wall of said opening, and means for moving said pin from said arresting position to said nonarresting position.
 2. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 1 wherein said camming edge extends a distance greater than the distance between said arresting position and said nonarresting position whereby said camming edge engages a part of said trailing wall throughout the movement of said pin from said arresting position to said nonarresting position when in engagement with said arresting element.
 3. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 2 comprising means on said pin engageable with said pin box whereby to prevent movement of said pin beyond said arresting position in the direction said pin moves away from said nonarresting position.
 4. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 2 wherein the distance between said camming edge and said opposite edge when measured in the plane of said side of said pin box when said pin is in said arresting position is less than said first mentioned distance.
 5. A calculating machine or the like according to claim 1 wherein the edge of said pin engageable with said arresting element tapers toward said camming edge in the Direction said pin moves to said nonarresting position and extends at right angles to said direction of advancement of said pin box when said pin is in said arresting position and said pin is arrested by said arresting element. 